Lineal optimization gang/edger for cutting cants and flitches

Abstract

A combination gang saw and edger system cuts both cants and flitches into boards. Cants and flitches are fed singly, lengthwise into the system on an infeed conveyor. On the conveyor, the cant or flitch is scanned to produce a lengthwise cross-sectional profile. An optimizer determines whether the profile is for a cant or flitch and determines how the piece will be cut. A controller responsive to the optimizer directs the positioning of a first and second set of saws on a pivotably mounted saw arbor to cut either a cant or flitch, respectively. The boards cut from the cant or flitch are fed outfed from the system. The system can cut cants with longitudinal curvature and can cut cants or flitches that are placed at an angle to the length of the infeed conveyor.

1. A combination gang saw and edger system for processing cants and flitches into boards, comprising:
 an infeed conveyor; 
 means for scanning a flitch or cant as the flitch or cant passes lengthwise along the infeed conveyor to produce a lengthwise cross-sectional profile of the flitch or cant; 
 an optimizer responsive to the lengthwise cross-sectional profile of the flitch or cant that determines:
 whether the profile is a flitch or a cant, and 
 
 if a flitch, one of multiple ways to cut the flitch; 
 means for selectably cutting flitches or cants lengthwise into boards responsive to the optimizer; and 
 an outfeed conveyor; 
 the means for selectable cutting flitches or cants into boards including: 
 a first set of saws positionable as a cluster for cutting cants and having a plurality of saws set at a predefined spacing to cut boards of equal thickness from a cant; 
 a second set of saws configured for cutting flitches, the second set including two or more independently positionable edging saws; and, 
 a control means for selecting one of the first and second set of saws responsive to the determination by the optimizer whether the piece is a cant or flitch so as to position the selected one of the first or second set of saws across the infeed direction and, in the case of a flitch, controlling individually the position of the two or more edging saws of the second set to cut one or more boards of varying width from the flitch. 
 
   
   
     2. The combination gang saw and edger system of  claim 1  in which the first and second set of saws are mounted on a common saw arbor positioned transverse to the infeed direction and the control means further includes means for skewing the arbor angularly relative to the infeed direction. 
   
   
     3. The combination gang saw and edger system of  claim 2  in which the control means is responsive to the determination by the optimizer that the piece is a cant to position the first set of saws across the path of the infeed direction, to set an initial skew angle of the saw arbor relative to the infeed direction, to dynamically skew the saw arbor angularly relative to the infeed direction, and to dynamically slew the first set of saws along the length of the saw arbor during the cutting process to account for any lengthwise curvature or angle in the cant. 
   
   
     4. The combination gang saw and edger system of  claim 2  in which the control means is responsive to the determination by the optimizer that the piece is a flitch to position the second set of saws across the path of the infeed direction, to set a skew angle of the saw arbor relative to the infeed direction, and to dynamically slew the second set of saws along the length of the saw arbor during the cutting process to produce straight cutting lines on a flitch that is at an angle to the infeed direction. 
   
   
     5. The combination gang saw and edger system of  claim 1  in which the means for scanning comprises multiple scan plane scanners creating multiple scan planes in a lineal configuration. 
   
   
     6. The combination gang saw and edger system of  claim 1  further comprising means for feeding cants or flitches onto the infeed conveyor wherein the cants or flitches can alternatively be fed onto the infeed conveyor from either side or lengthwise onto the infeed conveyor. 
   
   
     7. The combination gang saw and edger system of  claim 2 , including a first actuator operable to position the saw arbor angularly relative to the infeed direction, a second actuator operable to position the first set of saws along the length of the saw arbor, and two or more third actuators individually operable to position each of the second set of saws along the length of the saw arbor.